How to get to Paris Center from CDG and ORLY Paris Airports (And how to get to CDG and ORLY Airports from Paris)
You’ve arrived in Paris! It’s been a long journey and you probably want to get into the city as soon as possible to rest up and start exploring. Here are the best ways to get into the city from Paris’ two biggest international airports: Charles de Gaulle and Orly.
I remember the first time I ever landed in Paris at CDG and looked around at all those glass tunnels. I remember thinking I was in a hampster cage and it still gives me this silly feeling every time. CDG is HUGE but thankfully navigating inside the airport is truly easy and well marked. When I flew into ORLY for the first time I thought it was SO easy. I still prefer flying through orly as it’s smaller and closer to the city however a lot of the big airlines are through CDG so it’s good to know how to get to and from Paris for both.
Pro tips:
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Have your hotel address readily available and saved in your phone, or even better in google maps. This way you can easily see real time traffic and have an idea how long your transport will really take. Did you know you can even download the entire map of paris on google maps so you don’t need to use your data to access the map while you’re here. It’s really great.
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Take into account the number of bags you have and people in your group, often for families it’s cheapest and easiest to take a taxi or private transfer.
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If you’re using public transport please remember that there are A LOT of steps that you’ll be carrying your luggage up and down. Please remember this for those with baby strollers too. The Paris metro system is NOT handicapped or stroller accessible (no guaranteed elevators or escalators). If you’re okay with carrying the stroller up and down stairs then you can use the metro. Just be prepared.
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Take into account your fatigue: you’re probably just getting off international flights, plan ahead how you’re going to get to your final destination and see what journey time works best for your group
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Payment: All of these services you can pay with a card (either Visa or Mastercard, unfortunately not Amex most of the time). Even if the taxi at the end of the ride says it wants cash, if you only have a card, they’ll magically figure out a way to let you pay using a card. (Yes, this has actually happened to me.)
1. Private Airport Transfer / Airport Shuttle – * most popular option *
Travel Time:
CDG to Paris – About an hour, or if during rush hour leave double that
ORLY to Paris – About a half hour, or if during rush hour leave double that
This is by far the easiest option for getting from the airport directly to your hotel. With a private transfer, your driver will be waiting for you right out of baggage claim holding a sign with your name on it and ready to help with any luggage. After a long flight, it’s nice to not have to worry about any more traveling once you arrive. That’s why this is our favorite and fastest option. There are no unforeseen obstacles and you’ll arrive at your final destination in the comfort of knowing that everything’s already been taken care of and organised for you. It’s nice to be a little pampered after a long journey.
You can book your private transfer through your hotel, via the Blacklane App (I’d recommend scheduling this in advance!), or with Gilbert, a driver we recommend for transfers but also for during your stay or for your photoshoot! His phone number is: +33 7 86 05 67 86
2. Taxi
CDG to Paris – About an hour, if during rush hour, leave double that
ORLY to Paris – About a half hour, if during rush hour, leave double that
This option is a simple and fast way to get into the city from either airport. When you have exited the airport and picked up your bags there will be signs labeled “Taxi” which will point you towards taxi ranks. Here there will most often be a line where you can wait your turn to be assigned a taxi. Taxi journeys between central Paris and its main airports have a flat rate set by the state so you never have to worry about the meter running wild if there is traffic.
From Orly Airport to the left bank (the left bank is anywhere in Paris that is below the Seine river) the price of a taxi in 2023 is set at 35€. From Orly Airport to the right bank (anywhere in Paris that is above the Seine river) the price of a taxi in 2023 is set to 41€. A taxi ride from Orly Airport to the center of Paris takes around 40 minutes depending on traffic and if it’s rush hour.
From Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport to the left bank the price of a taxi in 2023 is set to 62€. From Charles de Gaulle Airport to the right bank the price of a taxi in 2023 is set to 55€. A taxi ride from Charles de Gaulles Airport to the center of Paris takes around 50 minutes or so, again depending on traffic.
You can also order a Taxi via the app G7 Taxi. I usually prefer this way because then I can easily pay in the app and don’t have to worry about trying to find cash.
IF YOU NEED A VAN: You can order a van on the G7 app, they also have vans with car seats that you can order. When you are inside the app you’ll want to choose a van and then click on additional options where you can order a car seat or a booster. These taxis will be able to pick you up at the taxi pickup area within the airport. A van is the best option if you have lots of luggage.
PREORDERING TAXIS: Pre-booking taxis is a good option to help with your travels. You can really easily do this from the G7 Taxi app. This works well if you need to pre-order a van.
3. Rideshare Apps (Like Uber)
CDG to Paris – About an hour, if during rush hour, leave double that
ORLY to Paris – About a half hour, if during rush hour, leave double that
Rideshare Apps used to be a great way to get to Paris from the airports because they were just as fast as taxis and often cheaper. However the state has understandably taken measures recently to protect business for taxi drivers and these measures have made it far more difficult to order from ride-share apps such as Uber at the airport. There are very few points at which rideshare drivers are allowed to pick up passengers and the designated locations for rideshare drivers to pick up passengers are often swarmed with other travelers also looking for their rideshare. This makes it extremely difficult to find your vehicle and for them to find you. On top of this, there are also designated pick up locations to choose from on the app that don’t completely correlate to the ones designated by the airport. Because of this, ordering from a rideshare app often turns into a long frustrating conversation on the phone with both the driver and the traveler attempting to describe their location to one another, made even more difficult by language barriers.
If you do choose to use a rideshare app instead of a taxi, I suggest locating yourself close to one of the designated pickup points chosen by the app and then sending a message to your driver clarifying exactly where you are waiting. For example, if the rideshare app gives you a pickup point marked generally as Terminal C at Orly, wait outside at a place accessible to cars and message your driver that you’re specifically at “door 15” at “Arrivals” at Terminal C.
The rideshare apps we recommend most for Paris are Uber, Free Now, and Bolt.
4. Public Transportation (Here is the Official RATP App)
CDG to Paris – About an hour to an hour and a half to central Paris
Orly to Paris – About 45 minutes to central Paris
RER
The easiest and cheapest way for public transportation to get into the city is the RER train. There are 5 different RER trains that run through Paris and its suburbs and the RER B train connects Paris city center to both CDG Airport and near to Orly Airport. Once you’re on the train, it will take you directly to Paris center! Inside the city, the RER line B stops at Paris Gare du Nord train station, Chatelet Les Halles, Saint Michel Notre Dame, Luxembourg, Port Royal, Denfert Rochereau, and Cité Universitaire. So no matter where you’re staying in the city, there’s a stop on the RER that’s either not far away, or will connect you to a paris metro directly where you’re going.
From Charles de Gaulle:
Follow the signs with a little train symbol and the words RER B and you’ll find your way there in no time. If you’re in the wrong terminal at Charles de Gaulle, there’s an airport sky-shuttle that will take you between the terminals. At Charles de Gaulle Airport the RER B leaves from Terminals 2 and 3.
From Orly:
If you’re taking the RER from Orly Airport, you’re going to first need to take Orlyval (the shuttle train) to the RER station at Antony. You’ll find signs directing you toward the Orlyval shuttle to RER B throughout the airport.
Don’t forget to buy your ticket from the ticketing kiosk. An RER ticket is priced at 11.45€. Hold onto your ticket throughout your journey, you’ll need it to exit the platform at the end.
5. Bus
From Charles de Gaulle to Paris:
Charles de Gaulle’s airport bus service is called RoissyBus and it’s another cheaper option. There also used to be a service called Le Bus Direct, but it no longer operates. The RoissyBus stops at Terminals 1, 3, 2AC, 2D, and 2EF before taking passengers directly to Paris-Opéra in the center of the city. Once at Paris-Opéra it’s simple to connect to the RER, RER C, or metro lines 3, 7, 8, and 9. The RoissyBus makes trips leaving the airport every 15 to 20 minutes and costs 16.20€. You can buy tickets at ticket kiosks by the departure points, RATP counters in terminals 1, 2B and 2D (RATP is the Paris public transport service), or you can pay on board the bus (only contactless credit/debit card is accepted and change is not guaranteed when paying in cash). You can also purchase the tickets on you phone in the Île-de-France Mobilités app and use your phone as a ticket.
From Paris to Roissy Charles de Gaulle:
This bus goes both directions! You can pick it up at the Paris-Opéra metro station.
From Orly to Paris:
Orly’s bus service is called OrlyBus. There are two bus stops for the OrlyBus at the airport: one serving terminals 1, 2, and 3 and the other serving terminal 4. After these two stops, the bus will take you directly to Denfert Rochereau in Paris. Denfert Rochereau connects you to the RER B and to metro lines 4 and 6. The OrlyBus leaves every 10-15 minutes and costs 11.20€. You can buy tickets at ticket kiosks by the departure points, RATP counters, or you can pay on board the bus (only contactless credit/debit card is accepted and change is not guaranteed when paying in cash). You can also purchase the tickets on you phone in the Île-de-France Mobilités app/Bonjour RATP and use your phone as a ticket.
From Paris to Orly:
You can use this same bus to get to Orly from paris. You’ll get the OrlyBus from Place Denfert-Rochereau. A one way ticket costs 11.20€
6. Tram
From Orly:
The tramline 7 is another option leaving from Orly airport. You can find it by following the signs towards ‘T7’ at the airport. The tram leaves every 8-15 minutes and will take you to Villejuif-Louis Aragon, a metro stop located just south of Paris. From here you can transfer to metro line 7 and continue towards your destination via the metro system. The best part? Tickets are only 2.10€! Buy them at the automatic kiosks at the station.
Enjoy your trip! Was this helpful? Please comment below to let us know!
